Overwatch 2 developers have asked players to stop smurfing. Online multiplayer games have many unique challenges, and it's no different with Overwatch 2. Blizzard's hero shooter is constantly making adjustments to make the game environment suitable for everyone. But sometimes this mission becomes a little more complicated than it should be.
Overwatch 2 is in season 3, and despite all the experience gained from the previous game, balancing things out in Overwatch 2 is not easy. Initially, Blizzard's game had many bugs and glitches that diminished the quality of the player experience, though these have been fixed over time. Still, Overwatch 2 did not save itself from criticism, with players continuing to complain about skin prices and events. Recently Overwatch 2 developers revealed one of their biggest challenges in making the game fun for everyone.
In a stream on Overwatch 2's official Twitch channel, meta designer, Scott Mercer, and senior software engineer, Morgan Maddren, discussed the new collaboration with One Punch Man and the game's matchmaking. The two devs talked about how difficult it is to make the game's matchmaking fair and urged players not to create smurf accounts. They then explained that when a high-ranked player smurfs, it ruins the gaming experience for new players because of Overwatch 2's skill level system. The result is a drastic impact on matchmaking for low-ranked and new players.
Changes to Competitive Play in Overwatch 2 are always happening to improve the game. In the case of smurfing players, Overwatch 2's systems are built to anticipate new and returning players and players with higher skill levels than others. So when a new account is created by an experienced player it generates complications. The reason is that the account has so little information that it affects the matchmaker created to evaluate players. Maddren goes further and defines smurf accounts as "the bane of his existence," emphasizing how problematic this issue is for the devs.
The problem of smurfing players is a recurring challenge in the world of competitive gaming, so it is not strange that Overwatch 2 developers have strong feelings about the topic. It's unclear how the problem can be solved, but the developers will continue working on Overwatch 2 in an effort to create the best experience for players.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.